


Write Us a Happy Ending

by Cherikella



Category: Cherik - Fandom, X-Men (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Authors, Books, Break Up, Charles Getting Uncomfortable, Charles Xavier has a Ph.D in Adorable, Charles and Erik are exes, Dating, Erik Has Feelings, Erik Logic Is The Best Logic, Erik is Crushing Harder than a 12-year Old Girl, Erik is not a Happy Bunny, Falling In Love Again, Flashbacks, Honestly Charles What Are You Thinking, Interviews, M/M, Make Up, Reunion, Tension, Writers, make out, writers au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-05-16
Packaged: 2018-06-08 00:25:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6831469
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cherikella/pseuds/Cherikella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Writers!AU<br/>Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr are two of the best-selling authors in the world. Apart they're brilliant; together they're a force to be recon with.</p><p>However, they have been avoiding one another for the last 7 years until one day their new publisher - Emma Frost - arranges a deal for them to write a joint book. It seems to be the best decision ever!<br/>But what no one knows is that Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr have met before. In fact they have been dating a long time before they broke up 7 years ago. </p><p>Their reunion makes them realize that they still have a lot of emotions, feelings and issues to resolve.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> World famous writer Erik Lehnsherr is being a grumpy weirdo while being interviewed.  
> Also trying not to think about Charles Xavier is hard.

“On the air in 5… 4… 3… 2…”

The bright red ON AIR sign lit up and Moira MacTaggert smiled at the camera.

“Good evening, my viewers, I’m Moira MacTaggert and this is finally the long-awaited interview with best-selling author Erik Lehnsherr.”

Erik nodded stiffly. His face was stern, serious. Moira frowned just a little, annoyed that he won’t even try to charm the audience. Such good books, written by such an unpleasant personality. Pity. Oh, well.

“Mr. Lehnsherr, may I call you Erik?”

“No.” Erik replied.

Moira’s face became a little stiff too now.

“Okay…” she said, fidgeting with the notes she had on her desk. What was this guy doing? “So Mr. Lehnsherr it is.” she continued but got interrupted again.

“For 5 years now I’ve been signing my books under the name Magneto.” Erik said. His voice was deep, powerful and charismatic in a strange way. She had to admit the man had that going in his favor. Well, that and his looks! “It is no coincidence I chose to use that name to publish my books” he continued “and I would appreciate it if you call me by that name when we discuss my works.”

Yeah, okay, whatever, that made sense or something. Moira suppressed an eye roll. She didn’t become a journalist to deal with eccentric writers, even if they did look hot under the spotlight.

“Very well. I understand why this is important to you.” she said, trying to keep the conversation going. “Since you brought it up, could you tell us why the name Magneto is so important to you?”

Erik took a small sip from his glass of water.

 

_“You’re my magnet!” Charles grinned at him, propping his head on one hand, gazing at him lovingly with those blue eyes, filled with affection. “My **huge** magnet.” _

_Erik chuckled and shook his head. “Why would you even say that?”_

_“Because I’m made of metal and I’m attracted to you?” Charles made an innocent face_

_“You're such a dork!” Erik laughed._

_“Hey, you like that about me.” Charles’ hand now rested gently on Erik’s chest as the smaller man leaned over him and pressed a hot kiss on Erik’s lips._

_Erik moaned, grinning into the kiss. “God help me, I do.”_

_“Wasn’t my best pick up line but it worked.” Charles definitely did not giggle because grown men do not giggle!_

_“In that case, I hope I really am a magnet so you always stay close to me.” Erik replied softly which only caused another fit of giggles._

_“Who’s the dork now?” Charles pushed him playfully, getting out of the bed and heading towards the shower. “Get dressed or we’ll be late, Magneto!”_

 

He cleared his throat. “It just sort of spoke to me.” He replied stiffly.

Moira blinked a few times. “Good.” She now understood why Erik Lehnsherr hardly ever gave interviews. The man was incapable of sustaining a conversation! “Would you now like to tell us about your latest book - “Iron Walls”? It’s the touching and very emotional tale of different victims of World War 2. What inspired it?”

“In my life I’ve heard a lot of stories by survivors of World War 2. My grandparents died in Hitler’s camps… Auschwitz to be exact.” His voice was unaltered, strong, unaffected as if he were talking about the weather. “I wanted to tell their stories, to express their pain, their shattered hopes. They never got to say a proper goodbye. Their loved ones never got to talk to them. I wanted to…” he hesitated “I wanted to write them a proper ending. Like they deserved.”

“And what can you tell us about the strange figure, the unusual character of the German officer – Max Eisenhardt - who was in a way also a victim of the regime?” Moira said, smiling at the sudden outburst of applause from the people in the audience. 

Erik furrowed his brow. “How is he a victim?” he asked. 

Moira blinked but then excitedly explained. “Well, he was forced to follow orders that were against his moral code. He felt his deeds were driving him mad, he felt he was losing his soul and yet he had to do what the Nazis told him. Even though he's the only character of the book who survived the war, he was left to slowly descend to madness and lose everything he ever held dear. He was an emotional victim.”

“He knew what he was doing. He had his moral code, he _chose_ not to follow it.” Erik pressed.

“He was trying to survive and did whatever he could to help.” Moira insisted.

“He gave intel to one person whom he _suspected_ was a British spy. Suspected, mind you, he was never sure sure.” Erik replied in the same emotionally distant manner as if they weren't talking about characters he himself had created. “That’s not helping, that’s trying to clear his guilty conscious.”

“But the tragedy of the character lies in his constant regrets and sufferings. He cannot forgive himself for not being able to—“

“He cannot forgive himself for not having the guts to stand up for what he believes in and accept the consequences of his actions.” Lehnsherr interrupted her again. “What he fails to understand is that people face the consequences of their actions one way or another. There's no escaping that. His tragedy – a deserved tragedy, I would say – lies in the fact that by the end he realized he would've lost less had he followed his moral code instead of being a coward." He took a moment to calm himself. "Max Eisenhardt got what he deserved.”

There was silence. Max Eisenhardt was a favorite to many fans because of the complexity of his character and his tragic fate. But Erik Lehnsherr – the bloody author of the book – was giving the impression that he hated his own character! 

“He wasn't a Nazi, he wasn't a villain! He disagreed with the Nazis, he just couldn't oppose them. But there were a few good deeds he did…” Moira tried one last time “Like when he was helping Jews hide from being taken to camps… and countless times he chose to look the other way instead of arresting Monsieur--"

“Choosing not to prevent others from doing the right thing is not the same as helping them achieve it.” Erik said, his features stern.

There was another small pause. Erik took a clear look at the people in the audience. He sighed.

“I know people like him.” He then said. “I guess they can relate to his desire to do something that he truly cherishes, but is at the same time clenched by inability to actually follow his own moral code and dreams. Many people are forced to work jobs they do not feel are right for them, for example. That is relatable and makes people sympathize with him and his downfall.” He chuckled. “Or maybe the secret to why so many people are willing to romanticize the character is because of Michael Fassbender’s amazing performance in the movie.”

Laughter.

Moira grinned in relief. Yes! He was joking! That was better!

“It was an amazing performance indeed!” She agreed and the audience started clapping their hands enthusiastically. “Did you and Mr. Fassbender discuss the role before shooting the movie?”

“We did talk, yes.” Lehnsherr nodded. “He wanted to be sure I was aware of the angle he was going to take when recreating the character into a movie. He asked me for my opinion and if there was some further information I could give him that would illuminate him more about the character's inner world. I told him he was doing great on his own and that he couldn’t go wrong.”

“He really didn’t go wrong!”

Another round of applause.

Half an hour later the interview was by its end. Erik was discretely but impatiently glancing at the clock on the wall. He hated that sort of events. If he wanted to talk to people, he wouldn’t have become a book writer. The pages, chapters and tomes he wrote were his way of communicating with the world. He did not need other forms of socializing. 

“And one final question before we let you go.” Moira said, throwing her hair back. “Is it true you’re going to write a book together with Charles Xavier? Two amazing authors of your caliber in one book! That would definitely be a must read!”

Erik felt his mouth going dry and no amount of water could stop that feeling.

“It’s not exactly as you described it.” He said tightly. “There will indeed be a book, published with both our names on it, but we’re not writing it together.”

“Could you explain that further, please?” Moira tilted her head attentively.

"Certainly. We're basically writing the two sides of the same story." He said, lifting his hands to show his palms as a visual aid to his words. "We'll have a few discussions about the plot-line, we'll exchange notes, but what each of us writes will be his own version of what 'happened' in the story."

"So basically this book will be like a coin with two sides and each of you will take one side and write about it?" Moira clarified.

Erik nodded his head. "That's the general idea." he said. "The two separate and yet so closely connected parts will be published together as one whole book. And we'll all just wait and see the results of our labors."

"That is indeed a very unusual and original idea." Moira smiled. 

"It is partly the reason why we both decided to try it." Lehnsherr replied. 

"And what would the book be about?" she asked 

Erik quieted down, sitting still with his brow furrowed. 

"Well?" Moira encouraged.

"We'd rather keep this to ourselves while the book is in progress." he replied, finally. "Until it's done, I'm afraid, you'd be forced to be patient."

The truth was, they had no bloody idea what the book was going to be about! But he couldn't tell the viewers that, could he? 

"That's very well, Mr. Magneto," Moira started, "but--"

He cleared his throat as if disguising a chuckle. "Just Magneto is fine." he corrected her. 

"Of course. Magneto. That's all very well, but I've heard a rumor that you lost a bet and that's what's forced you to agree to collaborate with Charles Xavier?" 

There was much noise coming from the audience, some of it even boo's. Erik's powerful voice raised above the exclamations to say:  

"I respect Mr. Xavier and his works very much. As an author I hold him in very high esteem. It is indeed a privilege and a challenge to write something with such a brilliant mind."

The audience applauded approvingly. 

Moira once again tried to return to the topic of her interest so she pressed. "You did not reply about the bet though." she observed.

"Oh, we're running out of time. Perhaps next time we'll discuss the matter some more." Erik said, smiling cleverly. After all he did already know that there would be no other time. No chance in hell he'd go for another freaking interview! 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The events in this chapter take place before Erik's interview from the previous chapter. Just so we see what Charles has been up to these last 7 years and to see how we get to them being face to face again.  
> TW: mentions of a suicide attempt

Charles Xavier - a famous best-selling author - had a cozy home in the English countryside. A beautiful garden, solid fence so no one gets in or peaks in, roses and flowers that looked gorgeous in all kinds of weather. He liked to wake up at 10 am, take a bike ride around the village, then go home, take out his laptop and write. When it was sunny he wrote in the garden. Nothing was more soothing and pleasant than retrieving to one's own world of imagination while surrounded by the magnificence of nature! When it was raining, Charles Xavier liked sitting at his desk and writing his books while observing the raindrops sliding down the glass of his window. Either ways it was pretty much a routine - one that he's followed for the last 5 years. He needed his routine, it's what kept him going.

Every now and then Ororo Munroe - Charles' editor and owner of Storm Books publishing house - would pop by for a cup of tea to check up on him, to read the new chapters he had to offer and discuss them, or simply to talk to him. 

"I can e-mail them to you, y'know." He's told her a few times but she never payed attention, claiming that seeing the author face to face worked better for her and was part of her approach. 

Charles could easily guess the real reason behind her insistence on checking up on him like that. About five years ago when he tried to kill himself it was Ororo who had found him and with shaky hands and terrified eyes called for help and gave him first aid. Ororo saved his life that day. Charles' routine prevented him from ever attempting suicide again. 

Ororo knew Charles was fragile after his long-term relationship ended 7 years ago. She knew he was broken. For two years he struggled with his deep depression, trying to move on until one day he gave up. And that's when Ororo saved his life. She could not just leave Charles, never! He was more than a client, he was a friend. For the 5 years that followed she did her best to encourage Charles to keep writing, she worked hard to make people see what an amazing author he was. And they did it! They were a huge success! Now millions of fans were waiting impatiently for Charles' books. It was more than work, it was life. 

Ororo also knew what Charles' routine meant to him. She was aware she herself was a considerable part of his routine and she was also aware that Charles didn't do very well with changes ever since the... time he accidentally slit his own wrists while shaving... Therefore, she realized how tricky it would be to tell Charles that she was retiring from Storm Books in order to pursue her own career as a writer. It was a dream of hers and she was going to do it much earlier than that but she didn't want to leave her friend to another editor, not until he had established a name for himself at least. But now his reputation was brilliant and he had ideas to write about. She thought it was time. 

"Don't get me wrong, Ororo, I'm really glad you're finally going to do it and be an author. But I'll really miss you being my editor..."

"I'll still be around as your friend, of course." she smiled.

"Of course." He smiled back, sipping from his tea. 

Ororo set her cup down on the table and tilted her head a little. "Umm, Charles?" She started. This was the real tricky part. "There's something else too." 

He put his cup down as well, giving her his full attention. They already discussed all the consequences and impact her resignation was going to have on their work partnership. What more was there to tell him? 

"You need to go to New York." she blurted out the one thing Charles could never expect to hear her say now. 

Blue eyes went wide. "What? Why?" He grimaced. "I'm not going there."

"You have to meet with the new boss and renew your contract." she explained.

"Can't I just sign here and send it to her?" Charles asked hopefully.

"I'm afraid Emma insists on seeing her writers in person at least once." Ororo replied. "It's really no big deal. All you have to do is go to New York, stay for no more than a week, meet the new boss Emma Frost, so that she can renew your contract and then everything will be back to normal. You can write from your home as before, naturally, and I'll still be around to visit." Ororo said, checking out how pretty the [begonias](http://www.flowermeaning.com/begonia-flower/) looked. 

"No." Charles said firmly, crossing his arms in front of himself protectively.

"Charles, it's only New York. It's not the end of the world..." she said.

 

_"Charles, it's only New York, not the end of the world!" Erik growled. His face looked strained._

_His boyfriend was exasperated of having this conversation over and over again for weeks, Charles could tell, and it made him feel as if Erik considered him his enemy now. But moving to New York was too much for him._

_"Erik, can't you just stay here? Being an aspiring author, you can basically write anywhere. Why move?" Charles pleaded._

_"I explained it to you already. Why are you being so difficult about this?" Erik let out a loud breath, pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand while the other was resting on his hip. "I write better there. I meet new people that inspire me to write more. I'm becoming a better author by experiencing different things, not by locking myself in one room like you do!"_

_Charles bit his lips to avoid pouting or even worse - crying._

_"You already went to New York, you were there for a month. You got all the information, interviews and experiences you needed." Charles insisted._

_Erik sighed. "I understand you missed me during this month, Charles." he said, voice a little warmer now. He put both his hands on Charles' shoulders as if talking to a child. The compassionate pity of his lover did not make Charles feel any better. He scowled even more._

_Erik continued speaking slowly, gently, warmly, his voice low and full of feeling. "I missed you too. That's why I'm asking you to come with me. Come with me, Charles... Please..."_

_For one long moment Charles tried to envision it, to imagine himself and Erik moving out of the place he's considered a home. Their small London flat - the first place Charles ever truly felt he belonged in. Their life here, together, how happy they were, how many dreams they shared here, how many plans they've made that were now never going to happen. It made his heart feel heavy._

_"But we're good here... Why must we move...?" his voice sounded weak in his own ears. He was looking down, not daring to see the disappointment in Erik's eyes._

_"We'd be good anywhere, Charles." Erik said, his fingers tightening on Charles' shoulders. "It's just you that don't get it. Things can't always be the same."_

_"I'm not against change, I just don't see why change something that's working so well?"_

_Erik was silent. Charles could still remember that long silence. It was as if it spoke louder than anything else Erik had ever said. **Things weren't working so well for him, apparently,** Charles realized and that made his heart ache even more. _

_"Moving would do you good as well." Erik said, avoiding the other question Charles put out there. "We keep writing but we need to work harder on it, we need to see more of the world. There's more freedom once you let go of whatever's grounding you to one place. Can't you see that?"_

_Charles swallowed, blue eyes finally looking up at Erik clear and watery. He liked his life just as it was now. He spent too much time surrounded by insecurity in his childhood and in his teenage years. He welcomed the quiet and uneventful life he and Erik were having now. He felt safe and happy like that. He shook his head._

_"I don't want the world, Erik." he whispered in a shaky voice."I never have. All I wanted... was you."_

Ororo frowned a little, as if trying to understand what was going on in Charles' head right now. She could guess the reason behind Charles' stubbornness about going to New York.  

"There's only a slight chance for you and Erik Lehnsherr to meet in person." She said calmly. "New York is a big city, Charles." 

Charles needn't ask how she knew what was troubling him. 

"Besides, I've heard Lehnsherr is pretty withdrawn and hardly ever attends any kind of events." Ororo added. 

I'll say! Charles knew what Erik was like pretty well. He tried to push the memories that were struggling to surface again to the back of his mind. 

Ororo sighed. "I'm sorry, Charles." She took his hand in hers, leaning in a bit. "Had I known Emma Frost would bring Lehnsherr to our publishing house with her, I wouldn't have considered her as my successor, no matter how good she is."  

Charles shook his head with resignation. "He was her best client after all. Of course, she'd want to take him with her." 

"He was Hellfire Books' best-selling author. I didn't think he'd follow Emma instead of staying with the Hellfire." 

"I guess he really likes Emma." Charles sighed.

"Maybe they're working well together. Like you and me." She said warmly, her hand still resting on his comfortingly.

Ororo was his friend for so long. She knew him well, she understood him. She's stood up for him more times than he could count, and not just for the easy battles but even when times were harder than ever. She was a loyal friend and a great editor. For a moment Charles imagined what would it be like if she was leaving Storm Books to be an editor in another publishing house. Would Charles follow her instantly? Hell, yeah! He'd be out of Storm Books and into wherever she goes in no time. If Erik and Emma's relationship was anything like what Charles and Ororo had, there's no surprise Erik left Hellfire Books to follow Emma Frost. 

Charles squeezed Ororo's hand gently and smiled at her. "You've been amazing, Ororo." He said affectionately. "All these years, I don't know what I would've done without you. You didn't give up on me even when I had." 

"Don't mention it." She grinned, waving him off. "And I'm not actually dying, y'know. I'll still be around. Just not as your editor. And don't worry about Erik. He's probably not even in New York." 

Charles bobbed his head. "If we're to be published by the same publishing house now, we're bound to bump into one another sooner or later." He said, biting on his nails. 

Ororo gave him a compassionate look. Could it be that Charles still had some kind of leftover feelings for Erik? 7 years after Erik left him? It was too incredible to even consider it as a possibility. 

"I know you're..." she started but the author gave her a  _don't say it, Ororo!_ glare and she cleared her throat "... a little anxious..."  _that's better_ "but it's really no big deal. We have lots of authors and they hardly ever see each other, even by accident." She reassured.

Charles' features relaxed a bit. "Really?" 

She nodded. "Of course. And with someone like Lehnsherr who seems pretty secluded, the odds of you actually facing him are minimal." 

Charles nodded thoughtfully, his brow furrowed. He was still not entirely convinced. With his luck regarding Erik they'd be face to face the second Charles sets foot on New York ground. 

"Right. A week in New York it is." he sighed "Seems like I have no better options." 

~*~

How did he get himself into this mess!? Oh, right. He got on the plane to New York. Of course. That's how he got himself into this mess!

Charles needed more air or he would suffocate! He had to breathe and yet his chest felt too tight to let the air get inside. On top of everything else, he was perspiring and his head was dizzy. It was a nightmare and the worst possible time to get a panic attack! His anxiety was kicking in again and Charles had to sit down on the closed lid of the toilet and put his head between his legs in a fruitless attempt to calm himself. 

Why did he bloody agree to this trip at all? He knew he wasn't up to it! The moment he got off that airplane, it started. The first thing he saw was Erik Lehnsherr's huge face on a fucking billboard right there for Charles to stare at like an idiot. Well, screw his life! 

Then things got a bit better. The first few days were rather enjoyable really. Charles was a celebrity of sorts and lots of people actually recognized him on the streets and asked him for autographs. That really warmed his heart. Then, of course, there was the hotel. Storm Books had arranged a nice hotel room for Charles where he got all kinds of comfort. He even got tickets to see a Broadway show and that was a treat. 

Emma's personal assistant - a young boy called Scott Summers - took care of most things for him and Charles was eternally grateful to him for that. If it wasn't for Scott Summers Charles would've been utterly lost in all the commotion. Scott was in his early 20's, so only about 6 years younger than Charles himself. He was extremely helpful, precise and expeditious in everything he did, including matters concerning the renewal of Charles' contract with Storm Books. It was nice to have a friendly person in this strange new place. 

Eventually Charles did slowly begin to relax in New York, going out for dinner, a bit of sightseeing, talking to Scott, skyping Ororo and even scribbling a few ideas for future books. It took him three days to start dismissing his worries and fears of bumping into Erik again but it was worth it because he felt much calmer after that. 

And then Scott had to tell him about the stupid party! Apparently he was supposed to meet Emma there. Scott told him Miss Frost had some plans that she wanted to discuss with Charles at that party and although Charles was kind of reluctant to talk about work in such a setting, Scott assured him that _'this is how Emma does things'_. So there he was now! In the gent's, at a Storm Books dinner party, with Erik Lehnsherr among the guests!

Erik Lehnsherr, the man Charles loved for 10 years. Erik Lehnsherr, Charles' first real love. Erik Lehnsherr, the man Charles thought would spend the rest of his life with him. Erik Lehnsherr, who turned his back on Charles to pursue his career in New York and left Charles as if the time they spent together and their beautiful plans for the future meant nothing to him. _That_ Erik Lehnsherr was now in the other room, in a suit, his hair looking soft and touchable, his face determined and manly in the best possible way. Charles could die! And while Erik looked so calm and composed while mingling among the other guests, Charles felt like digging a hole in the ground and hiding in it forever.  

Charles wasn't an idiot. He realized how stupid it was to be this nervous about seeing Erik again after all this time. It's been 7 years, for God's sake! 7 years! Things change so much for this amount of time! Charles wished he could say he didn't think of Erik during this time but that would've been a lie. Erik meant too much for him for Charles to just forget him. Erik hurt him too much for Charles to just move on. Erik brought him unimaginable happiness and then shattered him completely. There was no easy way to forget all that. 

He washed his face with cold water and rubbed his eyes. "Get a grip, Xavier." He told his reflection in the mirror and took a few deep breaths. "It's a big party with lots of people. So what if he's here? You don't have to talk to him! You can avoid him. Yeah, that's it! You can avoid him..." Another deep breath. "And in case you actually  _do_ meet him... Well... thank God there's alcohol here!" 


End file.
